| ABSTRACT | 第1-5页 |
| 摘要 | 第5-9页 |
| Chapter Ⅰ Introduction | 第9-12页 |
| ·Background of the Study | 第9-10页 |
| ·Significance and Aims of the Study | 第10-11页 |
| ·Structure of the Thesis | 第11-12页 |
| Chapter Ⅱ Literature Review | 第12-25页 |
| ·Definition of Irony | 第12-14页 |
| ·Classification of Irony | 第14-19页 |
| ·Verbal Irony | 第14-17页 |
| ·Dramatic Irony | 第17-18页 |
| ·Situational Irony | 第18-19页 |
| ·Irony Studies in Four Fields | 第19-23页 |
| ·Rhetorical Approaches to Irony Study | 第20-21页 |
| ·Philosophical Approaches to Irony Study | 第21页 |
| ·Psychological Approaches to Irony Study | 第21-22页 |
| ·Pragmatic Approaches to Irony Study | 第22-23页 |
| ·Previous Irony Studies from the Perspective of Relevance Theory | 第23-25页 |
| Chapter Ⅲ Theoretical Framework | 第25-39页 |
| ·An Overview of Relevance Theory | 第25-36页 |
| ·Formation and Development of Relevance Theory | 第25-26页 |
| ·Notion and Principle of Relevance Theory | 第26-32页 |
| ·Communication as an Ostensive-inferential Process | 第32-33页 |
| ·Relationship Between Relevance and Verbal Communication | 第33-34页 |
| ·Relationship Between Relevance and Cognition | 第34-36页 |
| ·Comparison Between Relevance Theory and Grice's Theory on Irony | 第36-39页 |
| Chapter Ⅳ Research Methodology | 第39-42页 |
| ·Research Questions | 第39-40页 |
| ·Research Design | 第40-41页 |
| ·Data Collection | 第41-42页 |
| Chapter Ⅴ Relevance Theoretic Account of Irony | 第42-65页 |
| ·Essence of Irony from the Perspective of Relevance Theory | 第42-47页 |
| ·Irony as Evaluative Use | 第42-43页 |
| ·Irony as Interpretive Use | 第43-46页 |
| ·Irony as Echoic Use | 第46-47页 |
| ·Irony Generation:a Relevance-oriented Process | 第47-54页 |
| ·Factors Influenced the Generation of Irony | 第48-50页 |
| ·Motives for the Generation of Irony | 第50-54页 |
| ·Recognition of Irony Under the Guidance of Relevance Theory | 第54-57页 |
| ·Criterion of the Irony Recognition | 第54-56页 |
| ·Cues Used in Recognizing Irony | 第56-57页 |
| ·Comprehension of Irony Within the Framework of Relevance Theory | 第57-62页 |
| ·Comprehension of Informative Intention in Irony Use | 第58-60页 |
| ·Processes of Irony Comprehension | 第60-61页 |
| ·Factors Influenced Irony Comprehension | 第61-62页 |
| ·Summary | 第62-65页 |
| Chapter Ⅵ Conclusion | 第65-69页 |
| ·Major Findings | 第65-67页 |
| ·Limitations of the Study | 第67页 |
| ·Suggestions for Future Research | 第67-69页 |
| REFERENCES | 第69-72页 |
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 第72-73页 |
